Chapter 63
Chapter 63
2. The God Who Is There
The car windows were tinted black, making it impossible to tell if it was day or night, let alone see the scenery outside.
It felt like we had been driving for quite a while.
The young man in the driver's seat and the old woman in the passenger seat were unfamiliar faces. They looked like a wealthy lady and her lover, but they were probably both from the countermeasure headquarters.
I was shoved into the middle of the back seat, with Kirima on my right and Ryoko on my left.
"Are you okay with the restroom? There's a convenience store nearby."
Ryoko said casually, like a teacher chaperoning a field trip.
"More importantly, what happened to Reizei? Don't tell me you killed her."
"If we killed her, there would be a record. And disposing of the body would be a hassle."
Her usual tone, like she was scolding a poorly performing student, sent chills down my spine.
The man in the driver's seat leaned back toward us.
"It's pointless to use that on headquarters personnel. We're all too deeply involved with gods."
"Eyes on the road while driving."
The old woman in the passenger seat coldly rebuked him, and the man pulled his head back.
My clenched fist was drenched in sweat.
"What are you talking about, Ryoko-san?"
"The Unseen God."
Kirima, who had remained silent, finally spoke.
"It's the Territorial Divine Offenses that erase people who have recognized the divine body. The human intervention is to have the Unseen God eliminate those who know too much, right?"
"Kirima-kun, you knew?"
"The number of registered and active personnel in the countermeasure headquarters didn't match. It's been used multiple times in the past. Even your husband, right?"
I gasped. I wanted her to deny it, but Ryoko just smiled.
"Do you remember meeting my husband?"
Kirima shook his head.
"The Unseen God's power weakens for those with strong connections to other gods."
The man in the driver's seat interjected again.
"It's like telling a Buddhist about a Christian demon—they won't be scared."
"Come on, Umemura-kun, focus on driving... My husband was skeptical of gods themselves. So is Reizei-chan. That made it easier. But for Uyuu-kun and Kirima-kun, since your origins involve gods, there was still some dissonance."
"Are you planning to erase us too?"
"No way. But I can't overlook a rule violation. Consider this an additional employment test."
As Ryoko spoke calmly, the dark window reflected in her glasses. I noticed Kirima reaching into the inside of his suit jacket.
The dull butt of a gun peeked out, and I swallowed hard.
The car stopped, and Ryoko opened the door.
Outside, it was already pitch black. The mountain road stretched out, with trees arching overhead like a canopy.
In the forest stood a three-story sand-colored building. Its rows of dirty stained-glass windows made it look like a Western-style mansion from a horror film.
Behind the building stood a giant white statue. It looked like a child's oversized clay sculpture, resembling both the Virgin Mary and Kannon—a crude image of a god.
"This is Mount Fudaraku. It used to be a base for a New Religion. Now we use it."
Ryoko began walking ahead to lead the way. Behind Kirima and me, the old woman and the young man named Umemura stuck close.
We had no choice but to go.
A rusty iron gate blocked our path.
Ryoko pulled out a key and unlocked the padlock hanging from the gate. The door opened with a scream-like creak. She moved with practiced ease.
Looking along both sides of the path, I saw muddy backpacks and high heels scattered in the darkness.
A god that erases those who recognize it. I clenched my molars.
I heard Umemura's voice.
"Ueda-san, have you heard? That urban legend from East Germany—the vanishing passengers."
"You mean the escape to West Berlin using the railway?"
"But the number of defectors and the number of missing people don't match."
"They failed and were killed, right?"
"No, I think there's something like the Territorial Divine Offenses over there too. Since East and West were divided, they couldn't keep control like in Japan, so it ran wild."
The old woman called Ueda sighed.
"That's Reizei's hand-me-down. From a third-rate occult magazine."
"You caught me."
I nearly tripped on the uneven path, and the cigarette Reizei had given me bounced in my pocket.
She was with us until yesterday. These people erased her.
I stopped and turned to face them, then punched Umemura with all my strength.
The sensation of his hard cheekbone hit my fist, and Umemura flew back, colliding with a tree trunk.
"Uyuu!?"
I heard Kirima's voice. I shoved Ueda aside. The old woman's frail body toppled easily.
"You really are a thug!"
Before the groaning Umemura could get up, I straddled him and pinned him down.
"Better than being a murderer!"
A firm hand stopped my raised fist. Kirima had grabbed my arm tightly and was looking down at me.
"Let go!"
My arm didn't budge. With the backlight, I couldn't see Kirima's expression.
"Hey, hey, stop fighting."
Ryoko approached calmly, wearing a Noh mask-like smile. No matter what I said, it would be useless with these people.
I got off of Umemura. Ryoko helped him up and brushed the mud off his clothes.
Ueda looked at me with a face full of contempt and hatred. I spat at her feet.
Kirima looked down with a pained expression.
Ryoko clapped her hands like a teacher.
"Okay, no more grudges. We have important work to do."
Behind Ryoko stood the old Western-style mansion. At some point, we had arrived at the mountain's summit.
Ryoko pushed open the thick wooden door.
Air filled with the smell of dust and mold rushed out.
"Come in?"
Ueda and Umemura stared at me. I had officially become a dangerous person. Kirima took the lead, and we followed him.
Inside was dark and nearly in ruins.
The stained glass reflected on the splintered wooden floor and the ceiling with its peeling tiles.
Rows of pew-like benches and desks filled the space. It seemed they were using the original facility as-is.
When Ryoko pressed a switch on the wall, a bizarre scene unfolded.
The entire wall was covered in papers. Maps of Japan, countless black-and-white and color photographs, copies of ancient documents—an overwhelming amount of documents filled every gap.
And at the back of the chapel sat something that looked like an old wooden door.
"Kirima-kun, you know what that is, right?"
"The God Who Is There, huh..."
There was no hidden room. Just a door, like one removed from an old Japanese house, standing upright. Was that really a god too?
"Yes, it was owned by the Miyaki family, who have been involved with deities since the Heian period. Its origin seems even older, but the details are unclear. Its existence was revealed through a prophecy from a certain god, and it was secured with the help of Kirima-kun's father-in-law."
"The concerned god, right?"
At my words, Ryoko opened her eyes slightly.
"So you know that too."
"Reizei told me. It kept repeating insane prophecies, so they stopped using it."
"Glad you're quick on the uptake."
She was a woman who never let her guard down.
"The God Who Is There is, as you can see, door-shaped. From the outside, it looks like someone just passed through it, but the person believes they spent an entire day in a temple-like space. That's all. But the concerned god predicted it to be the most dangerous god—a being that could shake the world."
Ryoko said that as she looked at Kirima and me.
"I don't want to erase you two. It was Reizei-chan who took the documents, right? You two bear little responsibility. But sadly, I can't trust you like this."
Kirima spoke with a grim expression.
"You want us to cooperate with the investigation and prove our loyalty."
"Yes. Kirima-kun, Uyuu-kun, will you go in?"
Ryoko pointed at the door.
Ueda and Umemura silently kept watch over us.
Kirima nodded with his chin tucked in.
"I'll go."